Demountable body



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DEMOUNTABLE BODY. F-iled May 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l am 239 @B B. F. FITCH DEMOUNTABLE BODY Filed May 18, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 28, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEMOUNTABLE BODY Application May 18, 1933, Serial No. 671,717

7 claims.

Systems of transferring freight employing demountable truck bodies, which may be lifted with their loads from a highway truck and deposited on a flat car for rail transportation, and

at the end of the rail haul placed on another truck for delivery to destination, are in effective use in various districts. Such system has been found very beneficial, as it avoids the delay and other disadvantages of breaking bulk and re- 10 packing at each end of the rail haul, inherent in the old box-car method of transportation, and likewise materially reduces the expense over that of continuous inter-city highway trucking.

To enable convenient loading and unloading of the bodies, they must have end doors, and, as the body is likely to be mounted on the truck either end foremost, such doors must be provided at each end of the body. These are in addition to the side doors, which are needed on each side of the body for convenient loading and unloading according to circumstances.

For the most economical handling on the trucks, and by the transfer cranes, the bodies must be as light as practicable, but, on the other hand, provision must be made for resisting the strains to which the bodies are subjected in rail transportation. These strains occur particularly at the ends of the body and are caused by the impact of the load against the end doors, due to the tugging and bufng stresses in starting and stopping the car. In a long train, where the engineer must take up slack and start the train with a jerk, this impact becomes very pronounced.

Double doors on each end of the body, pivotally carried adjacent their outer edges, are desirable to allow a wide loading and unloading opening, but such double doors, due to the impact of the' load, are liable in the rail transportation to become distorted or sprung. Moreover, as it hasl been customary to hinge the doors to the door the doors beyond the outer edges of the doors and beyond the jambs, clear to the sides of the body, and I secure the mating members of these hinge straps directly to the corner of the body, where they are effectively held by the side plates (Cl. B20-1.5)

of the body. In other words, that portion of the impact on the doors, which was formerly transmitted to the door jamb is now transmitted to the body sides, where it is effectively resisted by the side plates under tension.

The second change I make is to provide tie rods leading from the central region of the body and just above the doors to the sides of the car. The meeting edges of the doors are locked by bolts in the mid-region of the body end which engage the :door frame and the end wall above the doors. The oor frame is sufliciently rigid to eifectively resist the strain on the doors transmitted by the lower bolt. With my improvement at the upper end, the tie rods in tension resist the strain on the upper bolt.

The sides of the body are provided with vertical straps reinforcing the sides and terminating in hooks for the attachment of load lifting devices, and the lifting stress is transmitted to the floor frame by these straps and also by a pair of inclined reinforcing bars leading downwardly from opposite sides of each hook strap to the oor frame. All of these straps are riveted to the body sides and effectively transmit the lifting stress to the floor frame and also act to reinforce the sides. Now I secure the inner ends of the tie rods above mentioned to the sides directly opposite the hook straps, so that the pulling stress on the tie rod, due to the upper door bolt pressing outwardly by impact of the load against the doors, is transmitted to regions of the body sides effectively braced by the diagonal side straps, one of which acts as a strut and the other a tension member.

By the means described, I am enabled to resist the internal impact against both the inner and outer portions of the end doors. The hinge straps are carried clear across the faces of the door and by being made in the form of load resisting beams suitably webbed, as for instance, being channel-shaped in cross-section, effectively brace the doors against intermediate distortion.

My invention comprising a demountable body having the above outlined features for preventing end distortion due to internal impact, is illustrated in a preferred form in the drawings hereof, and is hereinafter more fully described in connection with such drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a railway flat car on which one of my demountable bodies has been placed; Fig. 2 is an end View of such body; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of a portion of the body adjacent one end on a larger scale than Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a transverse section through a portion of the body and as indicated by the line 4--4 on Fig. 3; Fig.V 5 is a detail oi the'mounting of the Xed hinged member at the corner of the body, being a horizontal section on the line 5-5 on Fig. 2; Fig. Gris a horizontal section through the upper portion of the body as indicated by the line 6 6 on Fig. 23; Fig. 7 is a detail on a larger scale of the hingeV strap in elevation; Fig. 8 is a cross-section of a hinge strap, as indicated by the line 8--8 in Fig. 7.

Referring to Fig. 1,.A indicates a railway at car having upstanding projections a, and B indicates one of my demountable bodies adapted to seat on the car and be positioned by the projections a. The body is shown es having intermediately located side doors ZJ.k Secured to the side wall, between the side doorway andthe ends of the body, .are vertical straps b1, riveted to the side wall and terminating at their upper ends in hooks b2, which maybe engaged to suitable hoist-mechanisrn. On opposite sides of each strap b1 are straps b3, also riveted to the side ofthe body and Vleading' dowrwa-rdly from pointsadjacen-t the the lifting strains well over the' base of the body.

Y Vframe and thebody;V above the door.

These sidestijaps appear in cross-section in Fig. 6, which shows them riveted to the sheet metal wall b4 of the body side. Y

The construction at the two ends of the body is identical, though only one end is shown indetail. The enelwall comprises vertical plates b5, adjacent the edges,fa top cross-plate h6, and a door jamb' bf', the latter being preferably of Z- bar cross-section and connected tothe side and top plates and to the base frame, designatedba. This base'frame is made of suitable structural shapes and, as shown, bounded by channel beams. The edge plates b5 are connected at theirv outer edgesrwith the body sides b4 by vertical angle 'bars b9, andthe side Aand end plates and.V angle bars are all effectively secured to the floor frame.

The body isprovided with a suitable roof b1" braced by cross beams leading'from one side cf the body to the other, one of which cross beams Z711 is Vshown in Fig. 3- as located between the hook straps-b1 and serves brace the body transversely in this region. The construction so far described is vone I have developed for freighttransportation isnot of itself'claimed in this application. w I e The doors C, which seat in the door jamb bl .at the end ci the body may themselves be of any suitable construction adapted to make a snug connection Ywith the door vjamb and with each other at the meeting edge. These doors nare shownV in Fig. 4 asvcomprising two wooden panels c c1,- cffset from each other to provide rabbets at the opposite edges, and the panelsare faced on th'eir'outer'sides with sheet'metal which progects around the endsY and into the interior. Such construction is 'shown andclaimed in my copending application Serial No. 649,193, led December 2S, 1932. Y Y

One of the doors has means at the meeting edge overlapping the other doer, and providing for carrying upright locking bolts to engage the floor I may provide for this purpose a-hollow post D, secured to one of the doors and overlapping the other, as

Yshown in Fig. 4, and as shown and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 625,977, filed July 29, 1,932. This` hollow post carries a pair of vertical bolts d'and d1, operatedby a lever d2 clear to the side of the body, and the stationaryV hinge members are located at the corners othe body.

As illustrated in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, brackets I0 are located at each corner of the body, these brackets embracing both outer faces of the corner angle Vbeam b9 of the body, and securely riveted thereto by rivets H. The brackets carry upwardly eX- tending stationary pintles l2. The hinge straps which cooperate with these pintles are designated I5.' They extend across the end walls b5 and clear across the faces of the doors'and are effectively secured to the doors at several points, as by'jmeans of bolts It, Figs.. 2, 4 and 7, whichextend through the door, these bolts passing preferably thrgugh elongated'openings in the straps to enable theY door to be accurately fitted to the strap Yso as to make a snug Aconnection with the door jamb.' Y i The hinge straps l5 are webbedto give them proper stiffness.V They are preferaby channel beams, as shown in Figs.'7 and d. I prefer to provide more than two of these strap hinges for each door, three being shown in 2, not Vonly lto make an effective hinge support, but to provide the further function of effectively' bracing the door.'

The hinge straps Icarry part of the internal l thrust against the doors Ydirectly to the hinge brackets', which are secured to the rigid corners of the body and .thus transmitthe stressV tof the side plates b4 in tension. The'rest of the thrust is transmitted by the bottom bolt d to the floor frame, which is very rigid, and'by they top bolt to Vthe top wall be of the body end, which is braced tolresist this thrust, as about to be described.

The tcp wall is braced by an angle beam b12 on its inside and by a flanged member b13 on the outside, which acts also as a draining gutter.

of interest here on account of its characteristic of stiienin'g Vthe lower edge of the top end wall. The end wall is still further braced in this invention by diagonalY tie bars 2li, which are riveted Y to the transverse beam P212 and to a' gusset 2|, also riveted to that beam, adjacent the trans verse center of the body above the doorway. Tie bars lead diagonally outwardly to the sides of the bodyv and mbe riveted to said sides directly oppcsite the hook; straps preferably the same rivets vpassing through the tie bar, the body side b4, and the hook strap, as illustrated in Fig. 6. vA convenient way of making thetie bar is'to provide a at metal strap twisted on itself as shown in this figure. Y

As the region where the outer ends 0I the tie bars are anchored isY not only opposite the hook strap b1 but adjacent the tops of the diagonal braces b3, it will be seen that the brace b3 nearest the end of the body forms a strut and the other brace b3 a tie effectively anchoring the end of the tie bar 2U. Accordingly, the outward stress, due to the impact of the load against the doors, delivered by the bolt d1 to the body frame above the doors, is eiectively resisted, not only by the bracing D12 and D13, but especially by these ties, which lead directly from the region adjacent the locking bolt to the sides of the body.

It will be seen from the description given that the impact of the load against the doors is taken entirely 01T of the door jamb, and this takes care of the greatest difliculty, as the shifting movementis greatest in the body some distance inwardly from the side walls, experience having demonstrated that there is little diiculty immediately adjacent such side edges. By mounting the hinges entirely independent of the door jambs, I relieve the latter of troublesome distortion, which has heretofore resulted, and which has caused leakage and required the discontinuance of the body until repaired.

I claim:

1. A demountable body having an end wall with a door jamb therein, doors adapted to seat in the door jamb, means for locking the doors to the floor frame of the body and to the end wall above the door jamb and adjacent the center line of the end wall, and diagonal ties in the clear space within the body higher, than the door opening adjacent the point where the end doors are locked to the end wall and leading from the central region of the end wall to the sides.

2. The combination of a demountable body having an end wall With a doorway in it materially narrower than the body and, which leaves Wall portions between the outer edges of the doorway and the body sides, a pair of doors adapted to seat in the doorway hinges carried at the end corners of the body having reinforcing straps leading across the end walls and secured to the doors, and means for locking the doors to the body adjacent the inner edges of the doors, and a tension brace within the body for the end wall above the doors leading from the central region of the end wall to each of the sides.

3. A demountable body having side walls and end walls, a door-way in the end wall narrower than the body, a pair of doors in the doorway, hinge straps horizontally webbed to stiften them and extending substantially across the doors and eifectively secured to the outer faces of the doors, said straps extending freely across the end wall between the doors and sides of the body to transmit any strains directed to the doors directly to the side walls, brackets at the corners of the body, and hinge pins connecting the brackets with the straps and means for transmitting strains from the inner portions of the doors through tension means to the side walls.

4. A demountable body having side and end walls, a floor frame and a roof, straps secured to the outer face of the sides leading above the eaves and having provision at their upper ends for the attachment of a lifting mechanism, a doorway in the end of the body narrower than the width of the body, doors in the doorway, hinge straps extending substantially across the outer face of the doors and thence across the end walls at the sides of the doors, means for pivoting the hinge straps to the body adjacent the corners of the body, means for locking the inner edges of the doors to the iioor frame and to the end wall above the doors, and ties within the body connecting the central region of the end wall above the doors with the sides of the body opposite the straps.

5. A demountable automobile body having an end wall with a doorway in it terminating below the top of the end wall, a pair of ties on the inside of the body each anchored at one end to a common member which in turn is fastened to the end wall adjacent the transverse center and each anchored at their other ends to the sides respectively, a door adapted when closed to extend transversely of the body and have a free edge adjacent the transverse center, and means for bolting said door to the body end adjacent the central anchorage of the ties whereby strains set up in the door may be transmitted through said ties to the body side walls.

6. A demountable automobile body having an end wall with a doorway in it terminating below the top of the end wall, a pair of ties on the inside of the body each anchored at one end to the end wall adjacent the transverse center and each anchored at their other ends to the sides respectively, overhead strut means transversely bracing the sides substantially at the regions in which said other ends of the ties are anchored, a door adapted when closed to extend transversely of the body and have a free edge adjacent the transverse center, and means for bolting said door to the body end adjacent the central anchorage of the ties, whereby strains set up in the door may be transmitted through said ties to transversely braced portions of the body side walls.

'7. In a demountable body having side walls and a roof, a doorway including a door frame in one end of the body, an outwardly movable door mounted on the body and having a free edge arranged to close adjacent the upper part of the frame, locking means for securing the door to the frame above the door centrally of the body, oppositely disposed bracing structures for the side walls extending adjacent the side walls and joined thereto, an overhead cross bracing means forming a strut between the upper portions of the side Walls substantially in the transverse plane of the bracing structures and operatively joined to respective said structures, and diagonal overhead tension members connected to both sides of the body in the regions thereof where the bracing structures are operatively joined by the strut, said tension members being connected to the door frame above the door in the region of the locking means of the door, whereby strains on the door tending to break open the locking means will be effectively resisted by rigid portions of the body independently of the frame.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH. 

